Episode 4 – The website on the internet that your client visits

The website on the internet that your client visits – the third episode in this series of the attracting clients model.

Episode 4

Enjoy this episode

Show notes

Hello and welcome to episode number 4 of the #1coachbiz podcast.
Something personal: At the weekends I get up later than on weekdays, often around 6.00 am. And on Sunday I often start with ironing what needed ironing from the week’s laundry.

Today I will talk about search engines, where people search you, how to write so people find you and the products that your people need.

Que intro

There were many times when I thought it was about other sites. Sites like Google, Youtube. Social network sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Other blogs.
But it’s not about these websites. Yes, they do play a role, and sometimes even a big one but the lead role is just for one website.

I will tell you about this website in a bit.

First, let’s make sure you don’t build your platform on a rented domain. With rented domain I mean sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest. It is perfectly OK to build an audience on these social networking sites. Talk, connect, share. What you don’t want to do is to become depending on these sites. You never know what might happen. Maybe a site like Facebook changes their privacy or terms of service and you don’t agree with these. Then you’re stuck. Or a site gets bought and you are they kill the network. This happened many times before.

What you do want to do is use these sites to connect with people and make them familiar with your platform. You want to build a Power Platform on your own domain with your own hosting and own domain name. Using a decent Content Management System like WordPress or Ghost and a template that you own. This is your land. Nobody can change the terms of usage, except you. Even when the hosting service that you use is doing things you don’t like you can move your complete platform including all your content to a new hosting service. It will still have the same domain name and look exactly the same as before.

If you did not get it yet, your Power Platform is the most important website that your client visits.

Here she will find your offers, learn more about you, get answers on questions she has. Your articles help your clients to learn about their problems and move forward.

Your Power Platform is a place where your marketing material is. The more static content of your site. The about section, the sales pages for your products, contact page. This platform also gives you the ability to publish articles quickly and easily. A blog, even though I don’t like to call it a blog because many people today think blogging is outdated and just for bloggers. And a coach is not a blogger. Right?

This blog section in your Power Platform is just a tool that you use to write articles. Information that your target client is looking for. You write about her problem. The exact same problem that she is looking for in the search engines. When you post often, let’s say once a week you search engines will like your Power Platform. They will visit it more often. When you post articles that your target client is looking for, reads and shares, your articles will rank higher in the search engines. So these articles will make you highly visible in the search engines and social networking sites.

And let’s get this out of the way, don’t focus too much on SEO. Search Engine Optimisation. Focus on writing really great articles that your target client is looking forward to reading. Then the search engines will follow the visitors. Also, focus each article on just one key topic and use that topic in the title and WordPress will automatically add it in the URL for the article. This way you will have tackled the most important steps. With the key topic in the title visitors and the search engines will understand exactly what it is about. You will be listed in the search engines for that topic.

You probably hate to sell just as much as me. And with that, I mean hardcore selling. When you step into a clothing store for example and within two seconds someone is with you asking if they can help you. I don’t like that. First, you browse, get comfortable, get familiar with what is where the colors. Then it would be great if someone is coming to assist you with selecting the perfect combination that makes you stand out and happy.

But the hard sell when you are not ready. Nope. Don’t like that. It just makes me leave the store. But I do like to help to buy when they call or email me. I don’t believe that my products will just sell itself or just via-via.

Like I explained in episode 2, working for anyone and everyone is not a great model. On the other hand, having a great solution and not letting the world know about it will also not help you.

Look at this way. If you have a great solution you are doing the people that need your help disfavor to not let them know about it. Your solution potentially could help a lot of people. Your solution cures a problem. The problem of your potential client why not share your solution with as many as possible people that look like your target client.

It is almost like you have an obligation, a task, to share your solution with the world. The only way you could improve our world a little in this life is that you share your solution widely. Is that you help as many people as you can. This does not mean that you should try to promote your solution to everyone, because it is not for everyone. Promote it to the right people. The people that have the problem that you want to resolve. The people that you love to work with. The people that want to pay for your solution. The people that really want to get the most out of your solution and therefore have the greatest success with your coaching. So it not for everyone, but you want to get your solution in front of the people that look like your target client as often as possible.

Let’s make sure that your solution is visible at the moment it feels the least intrusive. Right at that time when they are actually looking for your solution. That moment when they would feel bad when your solution did not show up.

Search engines and other places where people search for you

When someone has the same problem as your target client she wants to find your solution when she is searching for it. Your solution with be helping them.

So where does your target client search for your solution?
In search engines, mostly in Google. But also on Youtube especially when they are looking for how to do this. In Facebook, asking their friends, or group members or on a page. In LinkedIn groups. In Twitter.
When she is looking for your solution, she is obviously not looking directly for your solution but she is asking questions. She is looking for her problem in the search engines, asks how her friends solve this on Facebook.

When you want to make sure that your solution shows up in the search engines you have got the write about their problem. A good thing that we talked with our target client about her number one problem earlier, because that is exactly what she will be looking for in the search engines. She is searching for her problem. When you write articles about her biggest problem your site will show up in the search engines.

See, the most important website that your target client will visit is yours.

When you interview your target client you better find out where she will be looking for answers for her problem. What site does she go to to find answers to her questions, to overcome her objections for dealing with her problem? Be there too. Answer questions, help people in the groups on Facebook or LinkedIn and people will learn about you, your knowledge and your solution.

This is not the right time to promote your product. When she asks a question in the group she just wants honest answers and nothing promotional. A great time to just answer their question. Maybe add a link to an article you wrote earlier about this topic that answers her question.

Let’s move on to section two.

How to write articles so people will find you

The most important site where people have to go that has the same problem as your target client is yours. Like I just said, this means that you will have to talk about the problem.

Not just the problem, you will also need to show the way out of the problem. Share tips on how they can take small steps to work at the problem. You don’t want to overwhelm them with everything at once. Just write about one small step in each new article. When there is too much information in one article she will not implement it. It is just too much to do at once.

When your site is new it is a good idea to publish new articles often, once per week for example. The more articles you produce, the higher the chance that your potential client will land on an article that just answers her question for today. Also an active site with relevant articles scores higher in the results shown by the search engine.

What to write about?
In a Facebook group, you answered a question. Write an article about that question and your answer.
You did an interview with your target client and found her biggest problem, write about that.
You get a phone call from a potential client asking a few questions. Write a separate article about each question she asks and answer the question in that article. When one person calls you to ask these question she overcame a huge barrier just to call you. There are lots more people out there that have the same questions and don’t call you. By answering those questions they are able to find your answers without any barriers.

You talked to people at a networking event and share with them what you do. The person you talked to asked a few questions to get a better understanding of what you do. Write about that.
You found an interesting article on another solution that would help your client. Write about that and add your opinion.

You have this client that used your coaching, you solved her problem and she is moving forward. Write about that.
Before you got unstuck you were stuck. Write about that.

The products that your people need

People visit your Power Platform. They read your stories. They find your articles in the search engines. They learn about your method, your solution. She really gets to know you via your stories. You have prepared them to work with you.
She is ready to buy from you.
What do you offer?

There is no offer on your website. No product that she can buy now, at this moment, on your site. Of course, your service is on your website maybe even with your pricing. But now you ask the reader to contact you. She can send you an email or call or fill in the contact form.
Then you will call them. Do an interview and look for her specific needs. Then you will make an offer. These are all barriers to buy from you now.

Your potential client is looking for a method, a system that she can implement now. A product that she can buy that will solve her problem. A clear overview that you will solve her problem, how long it takes, how much effort it will take, what you will do, what she needs to do, and what it will cost. Examples of happy clients that you have helped before and their results. Then an easy option to buy it now.

A complete package.
The price
A buy button.

A page on your website that talks about her problem and your solution.
What her problem is and how you will take it away.
What your solution entails.
The results that you deliver, explained by real people.
The price.
The buy button.
And last but not least. The backup plan. What if this does not work for her. What is your guarantee?

Now she can buy your solution directly on your Power Platform without you putting any extra effort into it. The text on your website does all the heavy lifting for you. You cover all the barriers and help her to overcome these on your Power Platform.

In episode 5 I will tell you more about the lifeline of your business and why you need to start building this right away.

By Erno Hannink

Sparring and accountability partner for entrepreneurs who create sustainable positive impact. Explores decision-making. Shares his insights on this in, articles, books (Dutch), podcast, newsletters, and tools. Has a life mission to reduce social and ecological inequality. Father of two children, husband of M., runs, referee for the national soccer league, and uses stoicism for calm. Lives in the Netherlands. Speaks Dutch, English, and German.